


just fake it 'til you feel it

by achillese



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Birthday, Canon Compliant, Gen, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2014-01-23
Packaged: 2018-01-09 17:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1148722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achillese/pseuds/achillese
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam waits for John to show up for his annual birthday celebration, which normally consists of watching a baseball game. This year, though, John has a little something different up his sleeve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	just fake it 'til you feel it

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written as a para sample for a Tumblr roleplay, but I ended up liking it so much I decided I wanted to post it here. Enjoy!

Most kids Adam’s age would normally be out celebrating their sixteenth birthday with their friends, but Adam wasn’t “most kids.” He never had been, and while he’d known so from a young age, it still bothered him a little that he lived the type of life where he had to wait on the staircase for his dad to arrive to take him to their annual baseball game. Again, for most kids, their parents would be all too willing to spend their birthdays with them, but Adam’s mom was clocking in extra hours at the hospital and his dad was…well, he was a different story altogether.

He wasn’t a dad so much as a ghost that drifted in and out of Adam’s life periodically, showing up once a year on Adam’s birthday like clockwork. When he was a kid Adam used to look forward to his birthday with the kind of excitement that could only come from naïveté, but as he grew up and became a “cynical twerp” (thanks, Mom) he learned that John Winchester never showed up out of paternal love. In fact, Adam didn’t even think John knew the meaning of the word. If anything, the bearded man treated Adam’s birthday like he was punching in a time card at work: ‘showed up, did my duty, time to go home.’ 

What an absolute _jackass_. 

It was then that Adam heard the telltale growl of John’s Chevy Impala pull into his driveway and he sighed, shrugging on his jacket as he hopped down the last few steps and headed to the front door. Part of him had wished John wouldn’t show up at all this year; then at least he could call Jeremy, Erica, and Isaac and they could spend the rest of the day together. That was how Adam wanted to spend his birthday: with people who actually gave a shit about him. 

John, clad in a worn brown leather jacket, was standing in front of the Impala when Adam locked the front door of his house. 

“You can’t be Adam. Last I saw him, he was barely tall enough to look me in the eye,” John immediately said with a (forced? Strained? Highly awkward and uncomfortable?) smile. 

Adam shrugged one shoulder. “I had a late growth spurt. I’m taller than mom now. She hates it.”

John chuckled at that. “I’ll bet. She’s a tiny woman in comparison. Looks like you got your height from my side of the family.”

Interesting. John never talked about wherever his family came from. Adam was immediately way more intrigued now than he’d ever been during any of John’s previous birthday visits.

“Your side of the family’s all tall people?” he asked, trying to sound like a genuinely curious son would. 

John nodded and leaned against the passenger door of the Impala. “Generally, yeah. Mostly the men of the family.” He ran a hand over the beard stubble dusting his chin. “Hey, I was thinking for your birthday today we do something a little different.”

Damn the subject change. So close to learning more about John’s side of the family, whatever the hell that entailed. “No baseball game?”

“Not ‘til later.” Without warning, John tossed his car keys at Adam, who had quick enough reflexes that he caught them before they dropped. 

“Wanna learn how to drive?” John asked, and for the first time in years he looked genuinely excited to be here with Adam. 

Adam stared at the man. “You serious?”

“It’s not every day a man’s son turns sixteen.” When Adam didn’t answer, John started: “I mean, if you don’t think you can do it—”

“Shut up and get in the passenger’s seat, old man,” Adam joked, walking around the front of the Impala for the driver’s side.

John laughed as he clambered into the car. Adam didn’t even bother holding back his responding smile.

This? This felt good. This felt normal. The eternal question was: would it last?

Adam didn’t want to think about the very real and obvious fact that John would be leaving him again at the end of the day, not to be seen for another year. For now, Adam just wanted to learn how to drive, and pretend he knew what it felt like to have a real father in his life. 

Adam was good at pretending. He learned that from his father.


End file.
